Thursday, July 31, 2008

Stamping on a Budget - Day 7

Sorry so late today! I've been out all day doing the grocery shopping for the next two weeks. It's makes for quite a busy day! Here's today's installment, and there's actually one more installment before I post your "homework". Tomorrow's post is for any demos that happen to read my blog... don't know if there are any of you, but I'm going to give some tips that may be helpful.

For today we're going to concentrate on ...

BUDGETING YOUR RESOURCES

Organize your current supplies so you know what you have. - After eliminating and concentrating comes consolidating - putting like things together - and containerizing - giving each group a home. There are many great ideas on the web for organizing your supplies!!

Decide on your stamping style. -Are you an elegant stamper, or do you tend toward cute cards? Are you a colorer or a bold stamper? Do you love new techniques, or would you rather challenge yourself with following a premade sketch? Don’t be afraid to establish your own style rather than trying to be like everyone else. Then give away, throw away or sell supplies that are just taking up space or that frustrate you when you try to use them. Use the money to buy a set or accessory that you just love.

Isn’t it interesting when you see a set and know instantly that it’s you? You can think of 12 cards or projects off the top of your head. It’s perfect. Learn to choose those sets rather than the ones you can only use a stamp or two and then only if you try hard. If you read my blog you'll notice that I love the little Magnolia girls. Another set on my wish list is the quilting set that Papertrey just released. These are all stamps that are on my wish list because I just love them and will use them over and over again.

We stampers are notorious for buying something simply because Stamper Suzy made a cute card with it, even though it really isn’t a set we care for at all. Am I saying you shouldn’t think out of the box? No. But if you only have limited funds to spend, why spend it on “ok” stamp sets rather than your favorites??

Challenge Yourself. - I have a drawer of designer paper, another drawer of cardstock, another pile of textured cardstock, a drawer of ribbons and a box of retired stamps... but what do I grab first? Anything I’ve just bought.

Challenge yourself to make a card with each of your old stamp sets every month or so. If you find that you dread or avoid using one, then it probably should be sold!

Remember to Bless Others - There are some stamp sets that I won’t get rid of, simply because they are great for stamping with children or groups of ladies.  These sets are stained and probably not in the latest style... but they have been used multiple times for VBS, Ladies’ meetings, 4-H, School Projects, etc, making them very worth the storage space!!

--ooOoo--

Thank you again for your emails and comments. I do read them all and they mean a lot to me! See you tomorrow!

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